The six days Training Of Trainers for ECD Teachers of UMEED Programme successfully concluded at Agah Walidain-Informed Parents Center Hyderabad. Total 37 teachers have been trained on different domains that include, Early Childhood Education policies, practices, and emerging trends to ensure holistic development of children enrolled at our centers in Hyderabad division.

Summer camp is a unique setting for growth, allowing kids to become independent and self-confident, while socializing and making new friends, and even learning new skills. Rupani Foundation’s Sindh chapter recently organized and conducted a 10 days summer camp for children. In total 36 children participated and engaged in diverse mental and physical activities. The event was organized to build individual character, confidence, and skills through a wide range of activities. This initiative also offered a structured opportunity for children to grow during summer vacations.

Furthering its commitment to propagate education across Pakistan irrespective of the geographical obstructions, ethnic, racial, religious divides or gender inequalities and economic differences, Rupani Foundation has been working tirelessly to reach out to communities. In its effort, Rupani Foundation has established Early Childhood Development centers in Sindh, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Community-Based Agah Walidain is a pioneering initiative of RF that promotes community partnership, and ownership in development initiatives. It is a onetime investment venture on Rupani Foundation’s behalf in which the foundation provides learning resources, classroom furniture, audiovisual equipment, and technical support. Family Support Motivators are also given one-month comprehensive training on theoretical Early Childhood Development and approach as well as they are familiarized with classroom proceedings through engagement in day to day activities. With this collaboration, community members have to ensure the sustainability of the center through the introduction of comprehensive management and administrative system, and they are responsible to explore funding sources to run administrative activities. Rupani Foundation has opened 84 centers so far. In the early months of the year 2019, 11 new centers have started operating, newly inaugurated Community based AWIP centers are functioning in Gilgit region, whereas recently, in collaboration with local community organizations and a private Early learning center (Almas Early Learning Center Lahore ) an AW-IP center has been inaugurated at Lahore

Training of Trainers for Family Support Motivators (FSM) concluded with certificate distribution ceremony at Agah Walidain_Informed Parents center Rupani foundation Karachi. Teachers engaged in intensive training in varied thematic areas. For instance, Brain development of a child, Child rights, ECD curriculum in National Education Policy of Pakistan, Sindh government ECCE policy and curriculum, Development milestone
Responsive Parenting, development domains in formative years. Besides, Nutrition and Healthy food-related topics were also discussed.

Moreover, best practices and learned lessons at Agah Walidain-Informed Parents Programme along with challenges and recommendation were also shared to bring further improvement in the overall quality of services. Case studies, success stories, PowerPoint presentations, group work, and audio-visual presentations were hallmarks of this TOT.

One of the participants shared reflection in these words; “It was indeed constructive, we express our greatest gratitude to RF management for providing us the opportunity to avail the latest information and professional development (Knowledge, skills, abilities) training.”

Libraries play a pivotal role in preservation of history and knowledge. They provide a sanctuary for knowledge enthusiasts. Despite a dearth in libraries across the country due to evolving mediums of learning and negligence, there still exists some gems. One such place is Municipal Library Gilgit that exudes history and old charm through its architecture and books collection. The recently inaugurated the Exhibition and Research center at the library has a valuable collection of vintage photographs and books that attracts visitor’s s attention. The children of ECD-II of Early learning model center paid a visit to the place and enthusiastically listened to the presentation, they also took a detailed tour of the center. This activity helps the young generation to get familiarize with history, identity, and literature. Habits of learning and reading are also cultivated through such endeavors.

Excerpt from Newsletter of Pakistan Alliance for Early Childhood (PAFEC)

https://www.pafec.org/community/index.php?threads/professional-development-in-early-childhood-development-by-rupani-foundation-pakistan-and-the-karakorum-international-university-gilgit-baltistan.42/

The importance of Early Childhood Development is getting recognition both at Federal and Provincial levels in Pakistan. Comprehensive National Curriculum on Early Childhood Education was revised in 2017 by Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT) with the aim to foster children’s overall well-being and ensuring the best possible conditions for growth and development in a conducive, child-friendly and all-inclusive environment. However, the most important aspect to promote ECD is the availability of well qualified and trained ECD professionals. Unfortunately, there is a huge gap in the demand and supply sides which is attributed to the lack of institutions and training centers which offer accredited courses in Early Childhood.

The pioneer Seminar on Early Childhood Development 2018 in Gilgit-Baltistan deliberated upon the challenges of mainstreaming Early Childhood Education in the education system, particularly in the context of Gilgit-Baltistan. Apart from policy reforms, the seminar also identified the need of qualified Early Childhood Educators/Teachers for improvement of service delivery.  In the loom of these recommendations, Rupani Foundation and Karakoram International University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a research and training center which will function under the Department of Educational Development, KIU. The immediate objective was to initiate 6 months certificate and 1-year diploma courses in ECD with the technical support of Rupani Foundation.

Rupani Foundation engaged internationally renowned ECD expert who formulated contextualize training modules and manuals for certificate and diploma courses in consultation with the Department of Educational Development, Karakorum International University. These modules included modern ECD approaches, theories, Child rights, development domains, and milestones, Nurturing Care Framework, ECD curriculum, Child Growth & Development, Assessment of a child’s early years, Multiple intelligences, classroom management, and practices etc. The first cadre of 14 masters’ was trained through an intensive 15 days ToT programme in April 2019. With the help of these master trainers, KIU and RF will jointly start diploma and certificate courses in Mid-June, 2018 in the main campus. This initiative will strengthen ECD initiatives at the grass-root level by providing much needed critical mass for service improvement in the sector.